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Ep 110  (http://ibit.ly/Re5V) SPOTLIGHT on the ICM Chief Midwife - Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent

#PhDMidwives #research #midwifery #maternal #inequities #globalmidwifery #worldmidwives #ICM #leadership #advocacy #governance #datamangement

https://internationalmidwives.org/who-we-are/

First in our new 'SPOTLIGHT on' series, I chat with ICM Chief Midwife, Professor Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent

What happens when a national chief midwife takes the leap to champion more than a million midwives across 120 countries? We share that journey with candour and urgency—why timing mattered, how a call to “give back” became a global mission, and what it takes to turn evidence into action for women, babies, and families.

We unpack the role of a chief midwife at scale: elevating the profession, pushing for educated, regulated, and well-resourced midwifery, and ensuring midwife-led models of care are implemented where they save the most lives. The contrasts in maternal mortality are stark, but the solutions aren’t mysterious. From essential medicines that actually work in local conditions to policy choices that put women’s health at the centre, we look at how ministries and health systems can prioritise dignity and outcomes without setting midwives up to fail.

Crisis is another proving ground. When others run out, midwives run into conflict zones, climate disasters, and displacement. That requires leadership, voice, and the right tools. We talk about ICM’s partnerships for emergency readiness, the train-the-trainer programs shaping on-the-ground response, and the crucial difference between mere representation and real inclusion at decision-making tables. Then we shift to growth: the Midwifery Leaders Executive Sponsorship Program, the forthcoming ICM Leadership Academy, and the first global leadership competencies designed to guide job descriptions, performance reviews, and national workforce planning with consistency.

Data ties it together. The refreshed Midwives Data Hub helps leaders build stronger cases for change and gives educators and students a global view that sharpens local care. We close with stories that stay with you—frontline births in shelters, flags raised at ICM Congress, and a shared commitment not to leave anyone behind. If you believe preventable maternal death should be history, this conversation shows the path forward.

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Ep 109  (http://ibit.ly/Re5V) Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent on championing equity of quality care from the ward to the world

#PhDMidwives #research #midwifery #forcedmigration #maternal #inequities #globalmidwifery #worldmidwives #ICM #maternalsafety #helpline

research link t.ly/B_Ngq

Some careers trace a tidy line; Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent’s draws a map. From cycling between neonatal units and community visits in Hackney to advising ministers and shaping WHO-backed guidance, she shows how a midwife’s craft scales from bedside to policy without losing its heart. The through-line is simple and hard: women deserve to be heard, understood, and supported by confident, competent midwives who have time to build trust.

We unpack the formative years in London’s melting pot, where culture, church and family shaped everything from pain expression to antenatal priorities. Jacqueline explains why continuity of care is more than a model; it’s the context that makes advice land and reduces unnecessary intervention. Her teaching era ran in parallel with hands-on births and multidisciplinary training, proving that credible education starts in the room where it matters most. A master’s in public health sharpened her prevention mindset and introduced epigenetics as a practical tool: every conversation on diet, sleep, breastfeeding and safety ripples across generations.

Her professional doctorate emerged from a ringing labour ward phone. Studying health-seeking behaviour on a maternity helpline, she found that careful listening and evidence-based reassurance keep many women safely at home longer, lower system pressure, and improve confidence. Those lessons later guided her as England’s chief midwife during COVID: pre-vaccine fear, staff shortages, and unequal risk demanded clear triage, protection for women facing domestic violence in lockdown, and targeted support for Black and Asian women disproportionately affected. Looking outward, she champions three landmark documents on midwife models of care from WHO and partners, calling them the blueprint for cutting preventable maternal and perinatal deaths if leaders choose to act.

Come for the story of a midwife who never left the bedside behind; stay for a clear, actionable case for midwife-led care that puts safety, dignity and public health first. If this conversation resonates, follow the show, share it with a colleague, and leave a review telling us where midwifery can make the biggest difference next.

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Ep 108 (http://ibit.ly/Re5V) Liz McNeill and the 5th anniversary wrap up

#PhDMidwives #research #midwifery #doctoralstudies #supportnetwork #cheersquad #celebrations #globalmidwifery #phdlife #profdoc #DNP #DMP

Five years on, the numbers tell a hopeful story—119 countries tuned in—but the real win is what listeners do with the ideas. We revisit a year of fiercely practical conversations that move from thriving after burnout to the politics of consent, from water birth service design to the realities of dual-qualified pathways, and from oxytocin research to the tools that measure and mend birth trauma. Along the way we challenge how naming shapes midwifery’s visibility in research and policy, and we keep circling a core truth: informed choice isn’t a slogan, it’s practice.

We also look ahead with purpose. I share my PhD submission timeline, a speaking-and-meetup tour across England, Scotland, Denmark, and the ICM conference in Lisbon. Most importantly, I’m calling in clinical doctoral midwives—PhDs, professional doctorates, DNPs—whose bedside perspective keeps scholarship honest and useful. If you’re 12 months post-completion or working toward it, your voice belongs here.

To widen the circle, we’re considering launching “Spotlight On,” a new stream for trailblazers shaping midwifery and women’s health outside formal doctorates: service redesigners, community advocates, educators, and policy shifters. Expect focused, story-rich chats that you can translate into practice the next day. If an episode sparks a better question with a woman in your care, or gives you language to push for change in your unit, the mission is working.

If this resonates, help the midwifery voice carry further: follow the show, share it with a colleague, and leave a rating with one guest you want to hear next. Your suggestions shape the next hundred conversations.

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Ep 107  (http://ibit.ly/Re5V) Amanda Firth on maternal inequities, forced migration and need for increased interpreters 

#PhDMidwives #research #midwifery #forcedmigration #maternal #inequities #interpreters #CALD #huddersfielduni

research link t.ly/a7Eol 

What if the biggest barrier to mental health support in pregnancy isn’t stigma, but language? We sit down with Amanda Firth to unpack the hidden seams of maternity care: where well-meaning screening tools miss people, where interpreters enter too late, and where equity hinges on small, repeatable habits in busy clinics.

Amanda traces a path from home births and district hospitals to a PhD on refugee and asylum-seeking women’s perinatal mental health. She reveals how identity, migration status, and access to interpreters shape outcomes, and why midwives sometimes reword screening tools just to get women the help they clearly need. We break down trauma-informed care that protects both women and clinicians, and explore the overlooked solution of training midwives and interpreters together so mental health conversations become safer, clearer, and culturally grounded.

Beyond the consult room, we tackle workforce realities: staffing ratios, burnout, and the urgency of continuity of carer. Amanda shares how to translate research beyond paywalls into practice people can use—turning dense papers into plain language and peer learning that sticks. It’s an honest, hopeful look at building fair maternity systems, starting with what you can change today while the bigger machinery catches up.

If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a colleague, and leave a quick review. Your support helps more midwives, students, and advocates find these conversations and put them to work.

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Ep 106  (http://ibit.ly/Re5V) Olivia Tierney on regional practice, COCE learning, and national policy

#PhDMidwives #research #midwifery #regionalmidwifery #COCE #policy #governance

research link t.ly/qze7R

A nursing student drawn to babies and family care doesn’t always end up writing policy, but that’s exactly where Olivia Tierney’s path led. We sit down with the Senior Midwifery Advisor at the Commonwealth Chief Nursing and Midwifery Office to map a career that spans MGP caseloads, tertiary units, regional hospitals under flood and fire, and the long arc of a PhD that changed how she sees student learning and continuity of care.

Olivia takes us inside the contrasts that shaped her practice: the intimacy of continuity models versus the shock of high-acuity tertiary care, the autonomy and breadth of regional shifts, and the logistics of transfers when roads close and distance is daily reality. She explains why continuity of care experience (COCE) lights a spark in students, how following women through pregnancy, birth and postnatal periods turns theory into grounded judgement, reflection, and confidence. Her research journey is frank and relatable: withdrawing, restarting, choosing supervisors who fit, sitting with uncertainty until the work clicks, and then using that evidence to improve how students learn across varied placements.

We also explore what it means to lead from policy. Olivia argues for midwives at every decision table, translating lived practice into better guidelines, workforce planning and equitable access, especially for regional and remote communities. She shares how endorsed midwife pathways, prescribing shifts and smarter placement design can reduce attrition and keep midwives in roles that match their philosophy and scope. Through it all, she keeps a link to research, ensuring national decisions are tested against evidence and the realities of care.

If you care about continuity, education that actually works, and policies that respect both women and the profession, you’ll find both clarity and courage here. Subscribe, share with a colleague who mentors students, and leave a review with one change you want to see in maternity care—what would keep more midwives thriving?

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Ep 105  (http://ibit.ly/Re5V) Deborah Fox on water births in Singapore, intrapartum transfers and reimagining technology in midwifery

#PhDMidwives #research #midwifery #waterbirth #transfers #technology #UTS #Singapore

research link ibit.ly/mQ4jm

What if transfer from a planned home birth wasn’t a failure but proof the system is working? We sit down with Deborah Fox to unpack a career that moved from the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra to the frontline of woman-centred maternity care — and into the engine room where new technologies are designed. From scaling a water birth service in Singapore to shaping wireless CTG so women can keep moving in labour, Deborah shows how evidence and empathy can live alongside devices without crowding out choice.

We walk through the findings of her grounded theory PhD on intrapartum transfer and why the real friction often occurs between midwives across settings, not between midwives and obstetricians. The fix isn’t blame; it’s continuity, shared protocols, and a culture that holds the woman at the centre. Deborah’s current work uses mediation theory to ask smarter questions about technology: not whether it’s good or bad, but how it shapes care — and how midwives and women can shape it back. That approach now guides collaborations with industry so future fetal monitoring and maternity devices embody mobility, consent, and informed choice from the start.

The horizon is bold and necessary: virtual maternity wards and remote monitoring that keep complex pregnancies at home with strong midwifery relationships, timely escalation, and less disruption for families. In a country where distance defines access, this is more than convenience; it’s equity. We talk practical steps for protecting physiology in every setting — from skin-to-skin in theatre to mobility in labour — and the habits that keep relational care alive across screens and sensors.

If you care about safer births, better choices, and technology that serves people rather than the other way around, this conversation will give you fresh tools and a hopeful roadmap. Subscribe, share with a colleague, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway — what would make maternity care more woman-centred where you live?

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Ep 104  (http://ibit.ly/Re5V) John Pendleton on Rethinking Midwifery: Gender, Power, And Care

@PhDMidwives #research #midwifery  #education #care #uninorthants_uon #genderinclusion #addressinginequities

research link - t.ly/UPDGX

A home birth at 2 a.m. changed everything. John Pendleton swapped the BBC’s long-form documentaries for the long arc of labour, finding the same core craft in both worlds: showing up, listening deeply, and holding space through life-changing moments. We trace his path from community midwife to senior lecturer, and how a planned PhD on third stage physiology morphed into a bracing inquiry about gender, power, and presence in the birth room.

We talk candidly about why people choose midwifery—and why many leave in years three to five. Younger cohorts are arriving straight from school while funding gaps, means-tested allowances, and a rising cost of living push placements and part-time work into the same week. Continuity-of-carer promises better outcomes but collides with childcare at 2 a.m. AI may streamline admin, but hands-on, relational care remains the human core. The hard question is practical: how do we build wraparound support so midwives can deliver the care families want without burning themselves out?

John opens the black box of his research: an interpretive phenomenological study asking what it’s like for men working as midwives. The answers live in details—where you stand, how you seek consent, when you offer a chaperone—and reveal how gender operates as power, not just identity. That lens widened into a hotly debated paper on gender-inclusive language and whether “midwife” still serves everyone we care for. The media firestorm missed the nuance, but the academic work stands: read to think, not to react. Along the way, we dig into decolonising midwifery education, teaching cultural humility, and why rigorous mentorship in physiological birth still matters.

If you care about safer, kinder maternity care—closing racial inequities, protecting informed consent, and keeping brilliant clinicians in the job—this conversation offers both realism and hope. Listen, reflect, and share it with a colleague. Then tell us: what one change would help you deliver better care tomorrow? Subscribe, leave a review, and join the conversation so more people can find these stories and shape the future of midwifery.

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Ep 103  (http://ibit.ly/Re5V) Christine Catling on choosing home births, workforce sustainability and interdisciplinary advantages

@PhDMidwives #research #midwifery  #education #birthsetting #homebirth #UTS #ACM #workforce

research link - t.ly/XwoCO
https://australianmidwiferyhistory.org.au/

A purple-striped uniform, a corridor of hand-drawn portraits, and a decision that changed everything. That’s where Christine Catling starts—then she takes us through three decades of midwifery identity, home birth advocacy, and the quiet systems that make or break trust. We follow her move from UK nursing to Australian midwifery, the spark that led to a qualitative PhD on why women choose home birth, and the national consortium that helped publicly funded home birth services grow across Australia. The pattern is clear: when people feel seen and valued, services improve; when they don’t, the costs—human and financial—compound.

We dive into the workforce crunch with blunt honesty. Why are midwives leaving between years three and five? What does it cost to lose skills and continuity just as clinicians hit their stride? Christine shares promising findings from a cluster RCT on group clinical supervision and argues for cost analyses that count retention, recruitment, agency use, and the ripple effects on safety. The conversation also tackles freebirth and distrust of institutional care, not with judgment but with a hard look at what it takes to rebuild trust: first impressions that centre the person, informed consent that’s real, and models of care that let midwives do midwifery.

Along the way, you’ll hear how interdisciplinary work sharpens policy, why shared decision-making around induction and elective caesarean is a safeguard, and how compassion—eye contact, presence, a name—can change outcomes in seconds. We end with momentum: papers in the pipeline, global conversations with UK professional midwifery advocates, and a push to turn evidence into resourced policy that keeps midwives and families safer. If you care about midwifery, home birth, workforce sustainability, and humane care that actually works, this one’s for you.

Enjoyed the conversation? Follow, share with a colleague, and leave a quick review—what’s the one change you’d fund tomorrow to support midwives?

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Ep 102  (http://ibit.ly/Re5V) Erin George on navigating birth settings and maternal health in Haiti and the US

@PhDMidwives #research #midwifery  #education #birthsetting @uaznursing @acnmmidwives 

research link - t.ly/bt1_-
mumhlab.com 

What happens when a college student's chance conversation with a midwife changes the trajectory of her entire career? Erin George's journey from aspiring emergency medicine doctor to certified nurse midwife, researcher, and advocate reveals the serendipitous and sometimes meandering paths that lead us to our true calling.

In this deeply personal conversation, Erin shares how her internship at Partners in Health and a fortuitous desk placement outside a midwife's office sparked her interest in a profession she knew little about. Her story weaves through nursing school, global health work in Haiti, hospital practice, and eventually to a freestanding birth center where her passion for expanding birth setting options took root. When that birth center closed during COVID-19, Erin channeled her frustration into PhD research examining how pregnant people choose birth settings and what barriers they face.

Most poignantly, Erin reveals how pursuing her doctoral studies became an unexpected anchor during her husband's cancer diagnosis and treatment. With raw honesty, she describes completing her dissertation while raising two young children during a pandemic and facing profound personal challenges. Rather than derailing her research, these circumstances focused her work on what truly matters in maternal care.

Now as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Arizona, Erin is tackling critical research questions about birth setting transfers and postpartum hemorrhage prediction. Her work examines how we might better identify who's at risk for hemorrhage through genetic testing, placental biomarkers, and comprehensive health histories. The conversation highlights how midwifery research can bridge clinical practice with systems-level change to improve maternal outcomes.

Curious about the future of maternal health research or considering a career in midwifery? This episode offers invaluable insights into both the challenges and profound rewards of working to improve birth experiences and outcomes. Share your thoughts with us about how choice in birth settings has impacted your practice or personal experience.

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The aim is for this to be a fortnightly podcast with extra episodes thrown in

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Ep 101 (http://ibit.ly/Re5V) Deborah Davis on navigating hospitals, home births, and academic journeys 

@PhDMidwives #research #midwifery  #education @unicanberra #ACTHealth #homebirth #VIDM @world_midwives 

research link - t.ly/mOzQh

Deborah Davis takes us on a captivating journey through her remarkable career evolution from cardiothoracic intensive care nurse to home birth midwife to academic leader. Her story reveals the profound shift in mindset required when moving from high-tech medical environments to relationship-based midwifery care.

Deborah speaks candidly about her early fascination with home birth, sparked during travels through Southeast Asia where she hearing stories of birth happening naturally in community settings. This perspective led her to pursue midwifery and then an apprenticeship in home birth practice, eventually practicing for 15 years across Australia and New Zealand. She describes the stark differences between these countries in how midwifery was positioned within the healthcare system, with New Zealand offering a more integrated approach where midwives were respected as autonomous practitioners.

The conversation delves into Deborah's academic awakening and her doctoral research examining how midwives promote and protect normal birth in hospital environments that "scream medical." Her findings revealed the complex strategies midwives develop to support physiological birth within institutional settings, and how even home birth practices are influenced by hospital policies. This research exemplifies how midwifery is inherently political, requiring constant advocacy at multiple levels.

We explore the challenges of balancing academia, clinical work and single parenthood, including Deborah's practical approach to completing her PhD over eight years by establishing a rigid evening study routine. Her reflections on maintaining wellbeing through community connections outside midwifery offer valuable insights for anyone balancing professional demands with personal life.

Deborah's current work focuses on improving care for women with gestational diabetes, inspired by one woman's powerful statement that "diabetes stole her pregnancy." This research aims to create models of care that maintain the woman at the center of her experience rather than reducing her to a medical diagnosis. As chair of the Scientific Program Committee for the upcoming International Confederation of Midwives conference, she's also helping shape global midwifery conversations.

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The aim is for this to be a fortnightly podcast with extra episodes thrown in

This podcast can be found on various socials as @thruthepinardd and our website -https://thruthepinardpodcast.buzzsprout.com/ or ibit.ly/Re5V